To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALFRED Ana, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, county of Fair-field, State of Connecticut, have invented an Improvement in Single-Delivery Paper Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to pro vide an inexpensive paper box of the knockshall be adapted for general use and especially adapted for use as a match box and which shall be so constructed that it may be hung upon a wall and W111 deliver the matches singly.

With this and other objects in view I have devised the novel self-delivering paper box which I will now describe, referring to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification and using reference characters to indicate the several parts.

Figure 1 is an elevation of my novel match box as in use; Fig. 2 a section on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 3 a perspective of the lower portion of the box partly broken away, one bottom retaining flap being shown not attached in place; Fig. 4a plan view of the blank from which the box is formed, and Fig. 5 is an end view of the blank, as seen from the right in Fig. 1, after the first folding operation.

For the sake of clearness I shall use the same reference numerals to designate the parts of the box and the portions of the blank which in the assembled box form the parts.

10 and 12 denote the sides, 11 and 13 the ends, 14 the hanging flap, 15 the top flap, 16 a retaining flap therefor, 17 and 1S bottomretaining flaps, 19 the bottom flap, 20 the delivering incline, 21 a supporting flap therefor and 22, indicated by dotted lines, folding creases. End 13 is provided with a sealing flap 23 and delivering incline 20 and supporting flap 21 are notched, as at 2 1, to form a recess to receive said sealing flap in assembling, see Fig. 3. Supporting fiap 21 is provided at its lower end with a tab 25 which in the assembled position engages a slit 26 at the intersection of side 10 and bottom flap 19. Side 12 is provided at its lower end with a recess 27 and bottom flap 19 and delivering incline 20 are provided with an elongated hole forming recesses 28 which, with recess 27 in side 12 form a finger recess in Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 1, 1914.

Serial No. sea-20a.

the assembled box, as will be more fully explained.

29 denotes tabs cut out from bottom flap and left attached to delivering incline 20. letween these tabs and the sides of the bottom fin p and between the tabs and the hole which forms recesses 28 are supporting strips 30, left attached to both the bottom llap and the delivering incline, which support the front end of the delivering incline, leaving a delivering recess 31, between the front end of the delivering incline and side 10, which just receives a single match. The tabs 29 serve as flexible guards at the upper end of the delivering recess and on opposite sides of the finger recess and retain the matches against dropping down into the de liver-ing recess until engaged by a finger of the operator, as will be more fully explained.

32 denotes tabs at the lower end of side 12 on opposite sides of recess 27, which may or may not be provided as preferred, to serve as flexible guards at the lower end of the delivering recess, as will be readily understood from Figs. 2 and 3. Tabs 32 are supplemental to tabs 29 and form an additional guard to prevent matches from dropping out.

In assembling, the operator first folds supporting flap 21, delivering incline 20, bottom flap 19 and supporting strips 30 at the creases, as shown in Fig. 5, tab 25 being passed through slit 26. This leaves the rear end of the delivering incline supported by flap 21 and the front end supported by strips 30, as clearly shown. may or may not be pasted to side 10 and if pasted tab 25 and slit 26 may or may not be omitted, as preferred. The operator then folds sealing flap 23, ends 11 and 13 and sides 10 and 12 around to form the box in the usual manner, flap 23 being pasted to side 10, see Fig. 3. Bottom retaining flaps 17 and 18 are then folded up against bot tom flap 19 and pasted there in the usual manner. The box may then be filled from its upper end, the contents being retained therein by tabs 29, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. After filling, the box is closed by folding retaining flap 16 and top fiap 15 over as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2. It will be noted that retaining flap 16 is made relatively long so that after filling, the top flap will be retained in the closing position, 0w ing to the friction of the retaining flap Supporting flap 21 against side 12 against which it is pressed by the contents. Hanging flap 1-1 is shown as provided with a hole to permit it to be passed over a nail or pin, as a means of suspending the box conveniently for use. In packing filled boxes, the hanging flap is pressed down upon the top flap, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2.

In use, matches may be removed singly from the box by passing the finger into the finger opening formed by recess 27 in side 12 and recesses 28 in the delivering incline and bottom flap. The contentsslide freely down the delivering incline as shown in Fig. 2, the lowest match resting upon tabs 29. When the operator removes a match these tabs are pressed downward to let the match pass and then support the next match. Should the next match pass tabs 29 it will be held against dropping out by tabs Ordinarily there will be no match in delivering recess 31 but each match removed is passed through this recess by the finger of the operator inserted in the finger recess.

Having thus described my invention I claim:

1. A box of the character described having a delivering incline on which the corn tents rest, a finger recess in said incline, a delivering recess into which the contents pass from the delivering incline, tabs at tached to the delivering incline which close the upper end of the delivering recess and other tabs attached to a side of the box which close the lower end of the delivering recess.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

2. A blank for paper boxes comprising parts, separated by folding creases, for forming the top, bottom, sides and ends of a box, one of the sides having connected thereto other parts separated I by folding creases and adapted to form a delivering incline and supports therefor, and the other side having connected thereto and separated by folding creases, tabs, for the purpose set forth.

3. A blank for paper boxes comprising parts for forming the top, bottom, sides and ends of a box, the bottom part having connected thereto supporting strips, said strips having connected thereto a part for forming a delivering incline and said incline part having connected thereto a supporting flap, said parts being separated by folding creases.

l. A. blank for paper boxes comprising parts for forming the top, bottom, sides end ends of a box, the bottom part having connected thereto supporting strips, said strips having connected thereto a part for forming adelivering incline and said incline part having connected thereto tabs, for the purpose set forth, lying between the supporting strips and on the opposite edge a supporting flap, said parts being separated by folding creases.